Improvising in the face of right-wing "christianity"

OK, I recognize that I'm probably gonna catch heck for this post.  That's alright.  People have the right to express their opinions.  I have the right to express mine.  We may differ.  Isn't that something we need to accept?  We're all different from one another.  We all have different experiences and expectations in life.  Shouldn't we start with the assumption that it's acceptable to differ and still be able to get along?  Apparently not...

Recently, there has been a hardening of positions inside the Christian faith.  There are those who somehow have come to believe that following Jesus is intended to make sure that good "christian" people are successful, happy, wealthy, and correct (seemingly about everything).  I've come to a rather different point of view about how following Jesus should make an impact in our lives.  I believe that people who sincerely follow Jesus will become humble, peace loving, willing to help the poor and down-trodden, and tolerant of those who have differing points of view.  As you might guess, I have the most trouble with that last characteristic. 

These two poles of Christianity have been named "Right-Wing" and "Left-Wing" by people whose desire seems to be to align various groups with political principles.  It's a frightening thought for me.  I don't particularly want to be aligned with any specific political position or party.  Still, I'd probably accept the label "Progressive Follower of Jesus" as opposed to "Tea Party co-opted christian".  Yup...  I'm just guessing that that's where the conflict will come. 

How does improvisation come into this?  No matter our experience, our training, our predilections, or our intentions, life seems to go its own way.  We're on the journey without knowing exactly what steps will come next in the trek.  We might have a general sense of the direction we're going.  But, the specifics of life will almost always vary as the road winds through the vagaries of daily situations.  No one is promised a map showing what hurdles we'll have to jump or which chasms will force us to make side-trips.  Improvisation enters the picture when we have to navigate the path on which we'll journey.  We have to make certain changes and adaptations in response to the variations of the circumstances we face.  This is where our improvisational choices make so much difference.

What criteria will we use to decide how our improvisation is guided?  Will we put "me" first?  Will we seek "my" profit and "my" well-being?  Will we demand "my" way or refuse to recognize any approach to life but "mine?  Will we put "my" opinion above any other viewpoint or will we refuse to consider any interpretation of the facts but "mine"?  Those choices... the "me", "my, "mine"... seem to be the criteria of the the "Right-Wing" and even more so of the "Tea Party co-opted christian".  I have had very little luck in understanding or embracing such choices.  Nor have I been able to locate the foundations of their movement in a well studied theology or a broadly based understanding of the Bible.

Rather than  "me", "my", "mine", I choose to improvise my attempt to follow Jesus based on the rules of faith, hope and love.  The example of Jesus' life is a re-enactment of these principles.  To have faith in someone is often to allow them the permission to differ from you while believing they will honor the principles and grace given them by the Creator.  To hope for something means to seek and find appropriate ways to accomplish that hope.  If I hope for peace, mercy, grace, forgiveness, love... then the only means of achieving my "hope" is to abide by my basic principles (ie; peace, mercy, grace, forgiveness, love).  If I seek to find peace, then I had better find ways to peacefully learn to coexist with those people who or circumstances which might seek to prevent me from finding peace. 

Oddly, people who claim to be Christians are now pitted against other who claim the same name.  So-called Christians who promote war, self-enrichment, isolation from other humans they consider undesirable, and nose-in-the-air holier-than-thou attitudes aren't likely candidates for the Nobel Peace prize much less the words of Jesus, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant." 

I don't aspire to be that kind of right-wing or "Tea Party co-opted christian".  Rather I aspire to be a follower of Jesus who seeks to offer the cup of cold water, help the poor, shelter the homeless, heal the wounded, and harbor the dis-enfranchised.  I seek to be the follower of Jesus who isn't bothered by hanging out with lepers, publicans, LGBTQ folk, or just regular people who struggle to make it day by day.

Sometimes it takes some improvisation to offer faith, hope and love.  I'm not always sure about the best way to accomplish these offerings.  I am, however, quite sure that I'm a better follower of Jesus when I work toward goals that benefit the greater good of humanity while honoring the Creator.  I'm not called to serve the interests of "me", "my", or "mine" or folks who look like "me", "my", or "mine".  To be a follower of Jesus means to actively improvise solutions on the journey so I can go into all the world improvising ways to teach, heal, serve, love, hope, and offer peace to any and all who I might encounter. 

So... If you're upset with my opinion, that's your prerogative.  If you're inspired by what I've written, just remember I'm on the journey just the same way you are.  I fail, screw up, get angry, lash out, and engage in all kinds of other things that prove I've not yet arrived at my goal.  But, I'm on the journey nonetheless...  Join me?

Randy